Posts Tagged With: Trivia

The founding fathers of America were planning to land The Mayflower and settle further south in warmer climates, but instead chose Plymouth Rock because they had run out of beer. —- I wonder who owned the liquor store.

George Washington owned his own brewery. —- Is that The First Lady? No, its the thirst, lady.

At any given time, an estimated 0.7% of the whole world is drunk. —- I’ll drink to that! HIC!

The American National Anthem, ‘The Star Spangled Banner’, was originally an old English drinking song from a famous London men’s club. It was previously called ‘To Anacreon In Heaven’ and the original words were a dedication to the ancient Greek bard that wrote songs and poetry celebrating booze, women and song. —- I’ll drink to that. HIC!

In medieval England, beer was served up along with breakfast. —- I’ll HIC to that! Drink!

Sister Hildegard von Bingen (1098 – 1179), was not only the first person to add hops to beer; she was also a medic, philosopher, composer, poet, adviser to the Pontif, Kings, and other dignitaries. She was one of the first to champion women’s rights and surprisingly wrote the first literature on the female orgasm. —- She was Nun of this, Nun of that, and Nun of the other.

The oldest brewery still brewing is The Weihenstephan Abbey in Germany. It has been producing beer for almost 1000 years, and is still brewing beers right up to the present day, though it is no longer officially an abbey. —- Brewing for 1000 years? That brew’s ready by now, surely!

In brewery abbeys during the middle ages, fasting monks were allowed to drink five quarts of beer per day. Thats nearly 5 Litres! Give us this day our liquid bread. 5-a-day. —- That many liquid toasts is one unholy hangover.

Ancient Babylonians were so fastidious about maintaining good standards in beer quality, that any brewers producing naff beer were drowned in it. —- Far too lenient.

Inca tribes women brew a form of beer called Chicha. It is made from corn, and uses the salivary amylase enzyme from, yes, salivar to break down those corn starches. The village women chew the corn and then SPIT it into the mash tun, their saliva helps to convert the corns starches into fermentable sugars. —- Sounds delightful.

The waged Egyptian pyramid builders were paid partly in the liquid bread that is beer. It was called “kash” and this is where the word “cash” originates. —- What would you like Kash or Czech?

Bass beers triangle logo was the worlds first trademark. A devoted Bass employee stayed all night outside the registrar’s office on New Years Eve 1876, just so that Bass would be first in the queue when the office opened in the morning. This famous logo can be seen in paintings by Manet and Picasso. —- That beats TV advertising for panache.

Olde world English drinkers would often bring their own beer tankards to the pub. Some had whistles in the handles so that, in rowdy bars, the drinker could get the attention of the bar staff. Hence the term for having a beer is “Wetting your whistle.” —- I prefer drowning my whistle.

In 1814, an exploding beer vat destroyed a brewery and two homes. 100,000 gallons of beer flooded the neighbouring London streets and several unfortunate people lost their lives. —- Puts a whole new meaning to having a head on your beer.

Guinness scientists state that a pint of beer is lifted about ten times, and each time about 0.56 ml is lost in the drinkers facial hair. In fact, Britain alone loses 92,749 litres of beer each year in moustaches and beards. —- That is why I always wring my beard out before leaving my glass.

Stella Artois used to simply be called ‘Artois’. It acquired the added ‘Stella’ (meaning Star) because that was the name of their popular Christmas beer. —- They wished it could be Chrisrmas everyday. Going by there sales figures, it has been.

The Scaffold’s hit song, ‘Lily The Pink’ was about the supposed effect of hallucinations from alcoholism (pink elephants). One of the songs vocalists was Sir Tim Rice, famous lyricist from Broadway to Disney. Luckily, his one a only foray into singing. —- Don’t call us, we’ll call you.

In 1948, the Luxembourg branch of Alcoholics Anonymous had only 2 members. —- Something tells me there were other alcoholics about, but they were far from anonymous.

The 1974 annual dinner and dance for the Belfast branch of Alcoholics Anonymous turned into a massive punch up after bar staff had served the recovering alcoholics nearly £400 worth of booze. —- Anyone for punch?